- Date
- September 21, 1989, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Littlefork, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N132BABeech 80
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890921035709A
- Case key
- 34862
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Total failure of the electrical system during IFR operations & the aircraft's collision with a rock fence during the subsequent gear-up precautionary landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that, during an IFR cargo operation, the aircraft had a total loss of electrical power. He descended to VFR flight conditions and elected to attempt an off-airport landing in an open field. He was unable to extend the landing gear manually so decided to land gear up. The acft slid for considerable distance in the field, then struck a rock fence. Post accident investigation revealed a broken wire on an electrical cannon plug, located on the right engine firewall, that had shorted out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N132BA
- Reported as
- Beech 80
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LD-331
- Airframe hours
- 15,814
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-A1B, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Bemidji Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Bemidji Aviation Services, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 4, 1989 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- HIB · Hibbing, MN
- Destination
- INL · Intern'L Falls, MN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- NONE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,270 total · 20 in this make and model · 40 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HIB, 60 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N132BA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.